Increbresco
by TrinityRayne
Summary: Sam and Dean hunt along with their two cousins, Everett and Gunner. COMPLETELY AU. My first attempt at fan fiction ever, please be nice and don't forget to review: Previously posted under my old penname: baseballeatsyou. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

_**Sam and Dean have male cousins. Told mostly from Sam's point of view. COMPLETELY AU. My first fanfiction, please be nice:) **_

* * *

**I've seen a lot of sister and OFC stories out there and just thought I'd try something a little bit different.**

**New Characters**

**Fletcher Gabriel Knight:**

Parents: Henry (d. 2000) and Rebecca (d. 1992)

Siblings: Everett, Gunner, Asher

Description: Died in 1997 at age 14.

**Everett Brayden Knight:**

Age: 21

Parents: Henry (d. 2000) and Rebecca (d. 1992)

Siblings: Fletcher (d. 1997), Gunner, Asher

Description: 5'10", short blond hair, bright blue eyes, surfer's physique.

Status: Hunting with Dean, Sam, and Gunner.

**Henry "Gunner" Douglas Knight Jr.:**

Age: 20

Parents: Henry (d. 2000) and Rebecca (d. 1992)

Siblings: Fletcher (d. 1997), Everett, Asher

Description: 5'8", short blond hair, blue eyes. He wears a left leg brace. Recently diagnosed with diabetes.

Status: Hunting with Dean, Sam, and Everett.

**Asher Nicholas Knight:**

Age: 17

Birth Parents: Henry (d. 2000) and Rebecca (d. 1992)

Adoptive Parents: Paul and Kate Steele

Siblings: Fletcher (d. 1997), Everett, Gunner

Description: 5'8", light brown hair, blue eyes.

Status: Living with adoptive family in Vermont, limited contact with blood family.

**Background Info: **The Knights are Sam and Dean's cousins, their mothers were sisters. Their mother died when they were young, leaving them alone with their abusive father. Following a series of events in 2000, Henry was killed and John Winchester took in Everett and Gunner. Due to Asher's abundance of medical problems, John felt it best to place him with another family, who eventually adopted him.

In 2007, Everett and Gunner have been trained as hunters and are on the road with Sam and Dean.

_**In this story, Sam in twenty-three and Dean is twenty-seven.**_

-------------------------------------------------------------------

_**The Knight's past will be explained as the story goes on. Promise. **_

-------------------------------------------------------------------

_**The first few chapters are pretty tame, but later chapters will talk about more specific child abuse events the Knights went through and they will be somewhat hardcore. If you do not want to read this sort of thing, I will post a warning on the chapters containing this kind of thing. **_

_**This carries a strong "T" rating for harsh language, violence, and child abuse. Please do not read if this offends you. **_

-------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Disclaimer: The TV show Supernatural belongs to the CW. All recognizable characters are property of the CW and Kripke. Fletcher, Everett, Gunner, and Asher belong to me. **_

_**There. Now that I'm done with all that, on with the story:)**_

* * *

**Increbresco**

**Chapter I**

**By baseballeatsyou**

The orange glow of the early morning sunlight and the low drone of the TV is what brought Sam Winchester out of the most restful sleep he'd had in a long while. That, and Everett in the shower singing along to God know what, sounded like Judas Priest. Not Sam's first choice, but his musical tastes were in complete contrast to his twenty-one year old cousin's.

Gunner banged loudly on the door, completely jolting Sam awake. "I gotta piss, Everett. Hurry up!"

Everett responded by loudly reciting the lyrics to _You've Got Another Thing Comin'_ totally off key. Sam wearily sat up and glanced over at Dean, whom he was sharing a bed with that day. As usual, they only had enough money for one room and two beds. Gunner had gotten one to himself while Everett was exiled to the ratty old sofa, which did not go without much complaining, threats of bodily harm, and promises of retribution. They tried to give Gunner his own bed whenever possible due to his leg, so he wouldn't get all cramped up.

"Dude, Gunner," Sam moaned. "Hold it down. Some of us are trying to sleep."

"Well, one of us is about to piss his pants," was the retort. "Everett, open the damn door!"

Sam ran a hand through his slightly tangled hair, "How the hell can you sleep through this, Dean?" He decided if he had to be abruptly awoken, so did Dean. He grabbed his pillow and promptly his brother in the face.

Dean sprung up faster than Sam had seen him move in a long time. It took a minute for the elder to decipher what had so violently disturbed his slumber. "Bastard," he grumbled, his voice heavy with sleep.

Sam just laughed, "Time to get up, princess."

"You can just go to hell, Sammy," Dean said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Knock it off, Everett!" he ordered.

"Make me," was the childish response.

Dean stormed over to the bathroom door and swung it open, "Shut up!"

"Hey, I'm in here!"

"No shit, get out!"

"I'm not done!"

"I don't care!"

"Gunner! What are you doing?"

A moment later, Everett stumbled out of the room of dispute, clad waist down in a brownish motel towel and dripping wet.

Sam raised his eyebrows, "Problem?"

"This is totally unfair," Everett grumbled unhappily. "I have to sleep on the crappy sofa, eat the crappy food, and I can't ever take a freaking shower in peace."

"I need coffee," Sam said, ignoring his cousin's rant. He began fiddling with the well-used coffee maker on top of the dresser.

Everett pulled on a pair of semi-clean boxers, "Don't think I won't strangle you."

"Aww, baby Everett have a bad night?" Gunner cooed mockingly from the bathroom.

Everett responded by throwing his wet towel through the open door, an angry stream of choice words assured that he had hit his mark. He stood in front of the small mirror hanging on the wall, his bright blue eyes stared back like two sapphires. There was no doubt his attractive looks favored those of his mother, a fact he wasn't too willing to gloat about, seeing as how he had very little recollection of the woman and his father had never said a word about her. A mention of her name brought harsh beatings and long punishment.

Nothing could ever describe the relief he felt the day John brought him and Gunner into the Winchester family. John wasn't even blood, related only through marriage. And yet, he didn't hesitate. Everett did wish that his youngest brother, Asher, had stayed with them. But he knew the kid was better off with a family that could afford his then astronomical medical bills.

"A picture would last longer."

Everett jumped, he hadn't heard Sam come up behind him. "Huh?"

Sam nodded at the mirror, "Admiring yourself?"

"No," he was still startled. "Just thinking."

"There's a cause for concern."

"Funny."

Sam studied him for a moment, "Get dressed, we're leaving soon."

Everett tugged on a pair of slightly baggy, faded jeans and grabbed a black t-shirt that had the sleeves ripped off. Not because he was making a fashion statement, just because one sleeve had gotten torn beyond repair during a battle with a demonic dog. Afterwards, he had no choice but to tear off the other. Sure, he could get a new shirt, but Sam was very stingy with the little money they 'earned'. "Where to?"

"The roadhouse," Sam replied, gathering his own attire. "See if Ellen or Ash have anything for us."

Everett made a face, "Whose idea was that?"

"Mine"

"Figures."

Sam sighed, rubbing his temple. Today was a bad day for a migraine. "Look, I know Jo isn't your favorite person in the world, could you make an effort to act at least half human? Besides, Dean and I like her."

"No," Everett said. "Dean _likes_ Jo. I've never seen him actually have a crush on anyone before."

"What about Cassie?"

"That's different, she was cool," Everett said, shoving his belongings in his duffle bag.

"In other words, you thought she was hot."

Everett grinned mischievously, "So?"

"Dude, Dean would murder you."

"Not if he didn't find out."

"Dean always finds out. She's to old for you anyway," Sam said.

"Says the guy who slept with a forty year old hooker."

Sam gave him a look of disbelief, "How the hell do you know about that?"

"I have my sources."

"Dean," Sam growled in realization.

Everett beamed triumphantly, proud that he had something to hold against his older cousin.

"Did I hear my name in here?" Dean came sauntering back in.

"Yep," said Everett. "Spelled d-o-u-c-h-e."

"I'd be insulted but I'm too busy being in shock over you knowing how to spell it."

"Aha, ha, ha, ha," Everett fake laughed. "You're freaking hilarious."

"I know," Dean shouldered his own bag. "Everyone ready? Gunner?"

Gunner hurried out of the bathroom as fast as the brace worn under his pants would allow. Despite his physical limitations, there was no doubt he could hold his own in any sort of conflict. He had the same attitude pounded into his brain as the others, kill or be killed. He put the last of his possessions in his duffel, "Ready."

"Take your insulin?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. I'm almost out, we need to restock."

"We'll get some," Dean promised. "Let's get going."

The Winchesters and Knights filed out the front door and, after heated seating debates, into the car.

"I don't want to go there," Gunner exclaimed when told where they were heading. "Jo gets on my nerves, even more than Everett does. And that's pretty bad."

"Yeah," Everett said, not at all offended. "I vote we go someplace else."

"Too bad," Dean said. "My vote vetoes your vote."

"That's bullshit."

"That's the way it's going to be," Dean mentally kicked himself. The phrase had been right out of John's Raising Demon Hunters 101.

"So," Sam said, settling back in the passenger seat for the long ride ahead. "Who thinks Everett should be banned from ever uttering another 'musical' note?"

"I'm not that bad," Everett said. "You were just listening at the wrong parts."

"And that would be what?" asked Gunner. "The entire thing?"

"Yeah, man," Dean said. "Rock star is definitely not in your future."

"You don't need to sing when you look this good," Everett said. "I bet I've laid more girls than you two combined."

Dean scoffed, "In your dreams, pretty boy."

Sam bit his lip to keep from laughing, that was quite a comment coming from the king of the self-adoring.

"He's a man whore," Gunner said of Everett.

"At least I'm not a virgin," Everett shot back.

Dean looked at a blushing Gunner in the rear view mirror, "You're a virgin?"

Gunner elbowed Everett, "Thanks, brother."

"No problem, Gunny," Everett flashed him a superstar grin.

"Maybe I should tell them about Maia Anderson."

The grin disappeared, "I'll kill you."

"Maia?" Dean said thoughtfully. "Sounds familiar."

"It should," Sam said. "She was your girlfriend a few years ago."

"Ohhh yeah. Maia…" said Dean, fondly remembering his own somewhat whore-ish actions with the cheerleader. "What about her?"

"Everett slept with her," Gunner announced. "In this backseat, when he was fifteen."

Dean nearly swerved off the road, "_What_?"

"Fifteen? Sam asked, quickly doing the mental math. "That means she was twenty-one!"

"She had just turned twenty-one," Everett defended weakly.

"Oh, well, that makes all the difference," Dean said sarcastically. "She knew how old you were, what a pervert…is that why she broke up with me?"

"Probably."

After an awkward moment of silence, Dean started to chuckle. "I have to say it - atta boy, Rook."

Sam moaned in distaste, "You guys have no moral compass what so ever."

"You're not mad?" Gunner asked in disappointment, hoping for more of a blow out.

"How can I be?" Dean said. "Banging someone else's girlfriend in someone else's car…I'm offended and disgusted, but so damn proud."

"Okay," Sam said. "New subject please. Preferably one that can't be considered illegal in fifty states."

_**TBC…if you want.**_

_**How'd I do for a first timer? I know it's a risk adding new characters, I tried to make them believable. The next chapter will be more interesting. If I get enough feedback, I will post it late Thursday or Friday. Reviews make me happy:) Please be nice.**_

_**Peace. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks to bb1028, Ghostwriter, and mollieclarke for reviewing!!! **_

_**Disclaimer: The TV show Supernatural belongs to the CW. All recognizable characters are property of the CW and Kripke. Fletcher, Everett, Gunner, and Asher belong to me. **_

**Increbresco**

**Chapter II**

**By baseballeatsyou**

"I'm not sure," Ellen placed three beers on the table, deliberately denying a beverage for the underage Knight. They had arrived at the roadhouse early that afternoon and were prying Ellen for any information that would give them something to do. The demon business was going slow for a change leaving the guys itching for a job. Any job. "Couple of guys came through yesterday, talking something about a rash of hangings happening in South Dakota."

Dean swirled his beer, "So? If I lived there I'd probably hang myself too."

"Shut your mouth and I'll tell you," said Ellen, annoyed at having been interrupted.

Everett couldn't help laughing but quickly stopped when Ellen glared at him. That woman had a wicked stare.

"Anyway," she continued. "There's no evidence of foul play, suicide has been ruled out. Strange thing is, they all have a single mark on their heads, right behind the ear.

"Vampire?" Sam asked, praying that wasn't the case.

Ellen shook her head, much to Sam's relief. "No, it's a symbol. Kind of like a tattoo burned into the skin."

Everett hummed the Twilight Zone theme, earning him a smack on the head from Dean and another dirty look from Ellen. That woman gave him the creeps, and Dean didn't have to hit that hard. He scornfully rubbed the side of his head, silently plotting his revenge.

"What kind of symbol?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Ellen said, walking away. "You'll have to find that one out yourselves," she called over her shoulder.

Gunner eyed Dean's beer, "So, we going to South Dakota?"

Dean was busy watching Jo, who was wiping down the counter. He was oblivious the he was being spoken too.

With his cousin distracted, Gunner reached for the beer. Detecting the move with what must've been a third eye, Dean's hand shot out and knocked him away.

"You let me drink all the time, Dean," Gunner complained.

"It's illegal in public, dumbass."

"Since when do you care about being a law-abiding citizen?" Everett asked, glancing over at Jo. "There's no way she's coming with us."

"And it's illegal everywhere," Sam said, always offering a lawyer's standpoint whenever possible. Well, almost lawyer.

"Shut up," Dean said, smiling at Jo as she approached the table.

"Hey, guys," Jo greeted them, hands on hips. "You going on that hanging job?"

"No," Gunner said before anyone else could speak. "We're just gonna cruise, no job for us. Not a one. Nada."

Everett gave him an incredulous look, "Nada?"

"I'm ignoring you from now on."

Jo continued speaking to the Winchesters while the younger men bickered lightly between themselves. "Ash helped me look up some stuff on this kind of thing and I could really stand to get away from my Mom for a while."

"We don't need any help," Everett said coldly.

"What he means is, we got it covered," Sam said. "Thanks though, we'll let you know how it turns out."

"Oh," Jo said. "I was just offering. Call me if you want my help."

"Not gonna happen," Everett muttered.

"Everett," Sam said sternly after she left. "Could you stop acting like a child for once?"

"We hunt alone," Gunner jumped in. "That's the way it's always been. We don't need some wannabe tagging along."

Dean didn't want anyone getting in the way, but he did want to spend more time with Jo. On the other hand, it wasn't worth listening to Everett and Gunner complain the next few hundred miles.

* * *

"Trinity, South Dakota," Dean announced. "Tamed by the Duke, ruled by Eskimos." 

"First of all, John Wayne was never in South Dakota," Sam said. "Second, Eskimos? You really need to study up on your geography, man." He studied a photocopy he had gotten off the internet, "The hangings have been localized around the Cascade Nature Reserve. Nine hangings, eight women and one man."

"Only one dude," Dean said. "Think it got confused on anatomy?"

Sam shrugged, "Maybe women is it's pattern and the man is completely unconnected. It could just be a coincidence." He massaged his temple, "Got any aspirin?"

Dean glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, immediately concerned by the slight paleness to his brother's face and by the fact that he looked ready to puke. "Headache?"

"Killer one."

"Wuss," Everett muttered from the backseat.

"Everett," Dean snapped. "Knock it off."

"No one cares when I get headaches. I don't cry about it either."

"Don't start that again, man," Dean said, a little stiffer than he intended. "I do not play favorites."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"D-"

"Okay," Sam said loudly. "This is not helping. We got aspirin or not?"

Dean glared at Everett in the mirror, "No, man. We'll have to stop and get some once we get into town. Can you hold on?"

"Yeah."

Gunner shifted around in his seat, "I gotta piss."

"You got the world's smallest bladder," Everett commented while he dug through the rubble on the floor in search of some form of entertainment.

"Dean," Gunner whined. "I really gotta go."

Dean nodded towards the countryside, "There's no place to stop, we're in the middle of nowhere."

"Then pull over," Gunner begged desperately.

He was out of the car and running for the tree line before the car even came to a stop. After he was sure he was out of the line of sight, he quickly went about answering nature's urgent call. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a blood curdling scream suddenly pierced through the air.

Fumbling with his zipper, he went towards the sound as fast as he could, which definitely wouldn't win him any marathons. After going for at least a mile, he was completely disoriented and there was no sign of human life. Maybe he had imagined the scream.

"Hello?" leaves crunched beneath his feet. "Anyone here? Hello?" He turned around and around, struggling to get his bearings. "Damn," he pulled out his cell phone. "No signal," he said to himself. "Shocker." Well, they would come looking for him…eventually. "Dean!" he yelled. "Sam! Everett! He threw up his arms in frustration, "Yogi!"

* * *

"It's not favoritism," Dean exclaimed. "That's not even a word."

"Is so," Everett said defiantly.

Dean took a deep breath and reminded himself this wasn't worth fighting over. "Either way, with the demon after Sam and Gunner's crazy problems, they need more attention. Aren't you a little old to get jealous anyway?"

Everett didn't respond, just pouted. Both Winchesters were well aware of the deep emotional scars Everett and Gunner bore as a result of their very abusive childhood. And they tried to be patient, but sometimes it was just too hard. It was especially hard to deal with Everett, who had a difficult time controlling his anger and deliberately did stupid things just to earn a second of Dean or Sam's attention. He craved the attention he'd been denied for so long and took whatever he could get, negative or positive. Didn't matter.

"Gunner's been gone a long time," Sam said worriedly, scanning the dense, green forest. "Maybe we should go look for him."

Dean chewed his lower lip, "Alright." He got out of the car, "Stay here, Everett."

"What? No way!"

"Someone needs to stay here in case he comes back," Sam told his cousin.

"Whatever," Everett started to get out but Dean forcefully held the door shut.

"Do I really need to pull rank here?"

"He's _my_ brother."

"No kidding? Stay here."

Sam and Dean trudged into the woods, the trees illuminated in the orange haze of twilight. Other than Everett back at the car yelling that he was going to go into the woods no matter what Dean said, everything was completely quiet.

"Gunner!" Sam suddenly bellowed, breaking the vacuum of silence. "Gunner!"

"This isn't funny," Dean shouted. "If you're playing with us, I'll kick your ass to Canada!"

"Gunner!"

"Gunner, answer us!"

An hour later, the sun was nearly completely gone and darkness was setting in, not to mention the cold. There was still no sign of their cousin.

"Why don't you go on back and make sure Everett didn't take off," Dean suggested. "Come get me if Gunner's already there."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. "Probably shouldn't be out here alone."

"I'm not alone, Gunner's out here somewhere," Dean gave his brother a shove. "Move it."

Dean's protective gaze watched over Sam until he disappeared from sight, he didn't like having his entire family out of reach. As the protector, he liked to have everyone within eye shot, easily able to reach them in case of emergency. Needless to say, the current situation did not please the elder Winchester. He needed to find one family member, and get all three to safety. To make matters worse, Sam's headaches were starting to worry him and sitting out in the cold probably wasn't helping his condition. The guy was going to get sick. As if they didn't already have enough problems. Dean clicked on his flashlight and carefully stepped over a log, "Come on, kid, where are you?"

_Snap_

Dean doused his light and remained completely still, listening to the soft crunching of leaves.

_Snap_

"Hello?"

Dean turned the flashlight back on, illuminating the dirt streaked face of his cousin. "Gunner," he breathed in relief. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I got lost," he said simply. "Someone got murdered."

"What?"

"I heard a woman scream and I tried to find her…" Gunner was shivering in the cool night air and after a closer look, Dean saw it wasn't dirt on his face, it was blood.

_**TBC Yeah...I hate cliffhangers. But had to do it, sorry!**_

_**Next update: Friday (Maybe later tonight if I get enough reviews. The next chapter is already written, just needs some tweaking.)**_

_**Please Review:) Don't worry, explanations and good stuff start coming in the next chapter. **_

_**Peace. **_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: To clear up some confusion, Asher, the youngest Knight brother, is NOT Ash from Supernatural. When I was writing the story, I forgot about roadhouse Ash, who has absolutely nothing to do with this story. He won't even be mentioned except for that one spot in Chapter Two. So if you see the name Ash, it's referring to Asher. Thanks to darkdestiney2000 for pointing this out:)**_

_**Thanks to **__**mollieclarke, My heart beats only for you, darkdestiney2000, Cbloom, and Ghostwriter**__** for reviewing!! And everyone else who reads, please review. Pretty please:)  
**_

_**Disclaimer: The TV show Supernatural belongs to the CW. All recognizable characters are property of the CW and Kripke. Fletcher, Everett, Gunner, and Asher belong to me. **_

**Increbresco**

**Chapter III**

**By baseballeatsyou**

"Are you hurt?" Dean demanded.

Gunner stared at him blankly, "She was in a tree."

"Who was?"

"The woman."

"I thought you couldn't find her?"

"I didn't find her in time," Gunner said, sounding like he was in some kind of trance. "She was hanging in the tree." He ran his hand through his blond hair, "Her legs were cut off…the blood got on me."

Dean shrugged off his brown, leather jacket and handed it to his quivering cousin, "Do you remember where her body is?"

Gunner pointed behind him, "That way."

"Alright," Dean pointed at the coat. "Put that on and let's go."

"We're going back?"

"Well, we're not going to leave her up there. And did it ever cross your mind that this could be part of our case?"

"Oh."

Dean knew his cousin was dangerously close to going into shock, He placed on hand on Gunner's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze, "Come on. We'll just take a quick look, okay?"

Gunner leaned into the comforting touch, "I tried to help her, Dean."

"I know, man. Everything's okay," Dean said, trying to keep his tone calming. "We'll get this demon bastard."

Gunner's teeth were chattering, "I heard someone scream, I got lost…sorry."

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault."

Gunner suddenly stopped and looked at the ground, "Up."

Dean's gaze slowly traveled upward to a sight that turned his stomach, "Ugh." It barely looked human; it had no legs, intestines hanging out, and seemed to have been scalped. It swayed back and forth each time the wind blew, sending crimson raindrops of blood splashing down. The rope had nearly separated the bloody head from the mangled body. Dean swallowed convulsively, it'd been a while since he'd seen anything quite this bad.

"Dean," Gunner whispered. "Please."

Dean struggled to snap out of it, "Think you can find the car by yourself?" He pointed, "It's about a mile that way."

"No," Gunner said, his fingers clenched in the fabric of Dean's shirt. He needed the physical contact to assure himself that he was safe. "I don't wanna get lost again."

"Alright," Dean pulled out his cell phone.

"Don't bother, there's not signal out here."

Four bars popped up on Dean's phone, "I'm getting one."

"Really? I couldn't."

Dean flipped the phone shut, "Come on, buddy. Let's get this over with." He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, "Guess I'm gonna do some climbing."

* * *

By nine o' clock, the Winchesters and Knights had settled in at the Belmont Hotel, fancy name and not too bad compared to their usual refuges. It had two queen sized beds, a sofa in a small living area, and a galley-type kitchen. 

Dean had just returned from a drug store run to get Sam's aspirin and a new battery for Gunner's cell phone that had suddenly died. The battery had set him back much more than he would've have liked. He'd have to find a pool hall during their stay in Trinity.

He draped his coat over the desk chair and nodded in greeting to Sam, who was hunched over his laptop. Everett was on one bed watching TV and Gunner was lying on the other with his back facing the main part of the room.

Sam gratefully took the pills handed to him and dry swallowed them. "He hasn't moved since we got here," he said when he noticed Dean watching Gunner. "I tried to talk to him but he wouldn't say anything. He's asleep now."

"Hmm," Dean sat at the table across from Sam. "How's your headache?"

"Not too good," Sam admitted. "But I think we have more important things to worry about." He leaned in closer, "Gunner's pretty fucked up. What the hell happened out there?"

"A chick's-I guess it was a chick, it was too mangled to tell-her body was hanging in a tree," Dean shook his head. "I've never seen anything like that, man and I know Gunner hasn't. Oh," he took the cell battery out of his pocket. "Is this right? So many damn things, can't tell the difference between them."

Sam read the package, "Yeah, it's the right one." He furrowed his brow, "We just got him that phone, the battery shouldn't have died."

Dean shrugged, "Maybe it was a dud, that happens right?"

"Defective, Dean, the word is _defective_. You really need to study up on modern technology. I got this magazine-"

"Never mind," Dean grumbled. "My point is, batteries die."

"Not brand new ones," Sam said. A familiar expression fell over his face as the light bulb clicked on and he began frantically typing on his laptop.

Dean waited expectantly, "Something you want to tell me, Professor Epps?"

"Well, spirits emit EMF, right?"

"Duh."

"So," Sam spun the laptop around revealing a pencil drawing of a creature straight from _Independence Day_. "Majestins are thought to emit a strong electromagnetic pulse when they materialize. Stronger than most spirits. That would fry anything electronic, including a cell battery."

"Electromagnetic pulse," Dean said thoughtfully. "Like nukes?"

"Sort of."

Dean sat back in the rickety wooden chair, "Two problems with that theory, Sammy. One, Gunner said he lost his signal, not that his phone died. That happened after I found him. And second, Majestins have never been proven to actually exist."

"But they've never been proven not to either," Sam pointed out. "And Gunner was in shock, maybe he just thinks he didn't have a signal. Come on, we have to check out every lead."

Dean threw up his arms, "Sure, why not? How far apart are the hangings?"

Sam shifted through some papers, "Looks like…one every three days."

"We better take a break tonight then," Dean said. "I think we all need a breather."

"Dean the invincible hunter wants to take a break? The world must be ending."

"Funny." Dean leaned forward, "Seriously, man. Are you okay?"

Sam avoided looking into Dean's green eyes, "I'll be fine."

Big brother was not satisfied with that answer. "As soon as we're done with this thing, you're going to a doctor."

Sam snorted, "Yeah. Because there are a huge number of doctors who deal with psychic headaches."

"We'll get them to do a brain scan thingy-"

"CT scan."

"Whatever. Just to make sure it's not anything serious." Dean picked up a paper bag of fast food he'd gotten while he was out. "Who's hungry?"

"What you get?" Everett asked without bothering move.

"Burgers, fries, and a six pack."

"Not hungry."

"Come on. Get it before Sam the ever growing ape eats it," he peeled the paper back from his own greasy burger and took a huge, messy bite.

"Fuck off," was the muffled response.

Dean and Sam exchanged glances. Everett had been acting down ever since they arrived at the hotel, hardly saying a word. It really wasn't that unusual for his mood to suddenly change and for him to become defiant. While he _was_ an adult, he still needed the guidance and support of his older cousins.

Once, after Everett had a particularly bad run in with the law a year ago and nearly blew their cover, John managed to scrape together enough money to send him to a therapist. The therapist told them that emotionally, Everett was a little behind others his age. For so many years, he'd been in survival mode, never to act like a normal kid. When he no longer needed to constantly worry, he went into kind of an emotional developmental retrograde, trying to make up for lost time. Eventually, he would catch up and behave normally. Until then, it was like trying to reign in a rebellious teenager.

"Now," Dean ordered, not surprised when his cousin didn't budge. "Dude, please?"

Everett rolled over, his hair was messed up, a rarity for someone who spent twenty minutes every morning perfecting his 'naturally' tousled look. He reluctantly sat up, dwarfed in an oversized navy blue hoodie of Sam's.

Dean jerked his head, "Come sit with us."

"Family dinner is kinda _Leave It To Beaver_, Dean."

"Just call me Ward," Dean grinned at Sam. "And this is June."

Sam kicked his older brother underneath the table. "Why am I always the woman?"

Dean just laughed.

"Eddie was the cool one," Everett said, pulling the desk chair over to the table and sitting down.

Sam handed him a burger, "Here."

Everett made a face at the root beer sitting in front of him, "I thought you said you got a six pack."

"I did," Dean said through a mouthful of grade F meat. "Of root beer. You love that stuff."

Everett popped open the can, "I love real beer better."

"Here I was thinking I was being a good big cousin," Dean said. "Drink it and be happy. And save some for Gunner when he wakes up."

_**TBC…the next chapter will explain **__**A LOT.**__** It will be a back story about the Knight's past and how they came to live with the Winchesters. **_

_**Next update: Friday  
**_

_**I'm a review junkie, please give me a fix:) I'm no psychiatrist, so all that stuff is coming out of my head. Whether it's accurate or not, no idea. Also, the Majestin is just something I made up. **_

_**BTW, I don't know if I mentioned this yet but I love hearing your guys' suggestions for the story(helps keep writer's block from setting in lol) So feel free to mention any ideas in your review or PM me and I'll give every suggestion fair consideration.**_

_** Peace.  
**_


	4. Chapter 4: Part One

_**Disclaimer: The TV show Supernatural belongs to the CW. All recognizable characters are property of the CW and Kripke. Fletcher, Everett, Gunner, and Asher belong to me. **_

_**----WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A VIOLENT SCENE OF CHILD ABUSE AND VERY HARSH LANGUAGE. IF THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO READ, TURN BACK NOW. The second part of this chapter, posted separately, is much less hardcore if you don't feel comfortable reading the more intense stuff and would rather skip to that part. If you choose to do that, just ask me and I'll give you a summary of the first half.----**_

_**Thanks to My heart beats only for you, bb1028, Ghostwriter, and darkdestiny2000 for reviewing!!**_

_**A/N: The first part is just about the Knights. But don't worry, Sam and Dean reappear in the second half. Lack of reviews make me sad. So please read and REVIEW. They really inspire me to keep going.**_

**Increbresco**

**Chapter IV: Part I**

**By baseballeatsyou**

_**Northern California, 2000**_

_Pain. A single word which could describe pretty much every aspect of the Knight brothers' lives, emotionally and physically. Thursday marked the fourth day of their confinement to the cement block encased room down in the basement. No windows, cold hard floor, a single flickering light bulb, fear saturating the musty air. The one and only door bolted from the outside, leaving no way out. _

_"Gunner?" little Asher said, his teeth violently knocking together. "How much longer we gotta stay down here?" _

_Gunner pulled the hood up over the ten year old's bald head, "I don't know, bucko. Dad's pissed this time." _

_"Don't call him that," Everett said from the other side of the room. His voice echoed in the chamber they were convinced they would one day die in. _

_"Bucko?"_

_"Dad," he said. "He isn't our dad. Doesn't deserve to be called one." _

_"What should I call him? Henry?" _

_Everett fell silent, his ragged breathing bouncing off the walls and became nearly deafening. Henry had beaten him bad, worse than Gunner. They always attempted to deflect the poundings away from Asher, he was too weak to take much more than a few smacks._

_"Are you okay??" Gunner asked, very concerned about his fourteen year old brother. He was a year older than Gunner and the usual instigator of the beatings. Not intentionally though. He was the only one who would fight back against their father and that usually resulted in even more severe punishment. His uncharacteristic silence spoke volumes as to his state. _

_"I'm hungry," Asher said, leaning against Gunner and tried to soak in some of his body heat._

_"Me too," Gunner said. His own stomach gnawed at him, reminding him how long ago his last meal had been. Most kids complained about school lunches, it was a feast to the brothers. When they stole enough money to buy one anyway. "We've gone longer than this without eating."_

_"But my tummy's really hungry," he said, lower lip trembling. "I want food!"_

_"Sshh!" Everett and Gunner hissed simultaneously. _

_"No noise, Ash," Everett said, anxiously listening for sounds of footsteps on the stairs. He relaxed when none were heard. "I'll get you some food when we get out, promise."_

_"Don't make promises you can't keep," said Gunner. "Where're you gonna get food anyway?"_

_"Fuck off, Gunner. I don't fucking know…" _

_Telling him to watch his language around their little brother would be a waste of air. Asher heard it all anyway, he had never enjoyed the innocent bliss most kids have. None of them did. _

_"What's going on down there?" the voice froze Gunner's blood. He prayed as hard as he could, it didn't matter. Heavy boots thundered down the stairs, chains rattled outside. _

_Gunner used his body to block Asher, "Be invisible, Ash."_

_The door flew open to reveal a man whom Gunner would love to see lying dead in a ditch. He outweighed them by at least a hundred pounds, which wasn't saying much. His long, thin face was furious, lips set in a firm line._

_"What the hell are you dip shits up too?" he came all the way in the room and slammed the door shut. "I give you a place to live, and this is how you treat me? Like shit?" _

_Everett mumbled something under his breath, bad move. And he knew it. But that is how it went. He would take the brunt of the beatings because he was the farthest away from Asher. It was Gunner's job to shield the youngest. _

_"What'd you say, fucker?" Henry zeroed in on Everett. "Huh?" He brought his leg up and kicked Everett in the stomach with his steel toed boot. He then grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him upright, "Wanna blow my dick? Huh, pretty boy?"_

_"Burn in hell, son of bitch!" Everett spat. His head slammed back when Henry's fist struck his jaw. Henry threw the boy to the floor and began kicking him. Over and over and over and over. _

_"Say it!" Henry yelled, voice cracking with anger.. "Say or I'll kill you!" He raised his foot again, Everett curled into the corner, bracing for impact. _

_"Beat me until I puke blood because I'm a worthless piece of shit and I don't deserve to live," the words were barely audible. _

_"I can't hear you!"_

_"Sir! Beat me 'til I puke blood, sir, 'cause I'm a worthless piece of shit and I don't deserve to live, sir!" _

_An evil grin cross his father's face, "Not good enough." He reeled back and continued whaling on Everett._

_"Stop!" Gunner didn't recognize his own voice. Speaking out of turn was strictly prohibited. Henry turned towards him, almost slow motion. _

_Gunner backed up, pushing Asher into the corner. _

_"You're turning into an obnoxious little fuck," Henry started over, leaving Everett writhing on the floor. _

_"I-I'm sorry, sir," Gunner said, every fiber of his being said to run, but there was nowhere to go. "Please, sir. I apologize. Please don't, sir-"_

_The foot raised, Gunner instinctively whirled around and covered Asher's body with his own. His fingers clinched at the ragged clothing, muscles rigid…waiting. Nothing happened. After a few heart pounding seconds, Gunner slowly rolled over to see Everett standing with a bloody two-by-four in hand and Henry on the floor, thick red rivers streaming from his skull. _

_"What…?" _

_"That was for Fletch, bastard," Everett threw the board to the floor with a dull clatter. "Let's go." _

_Gunner sat up, pulling Asher with him. The door had been opened, Everett had moved and thought fast for someone who just had the shit beaten out of him. Carefully, Gunner leaned forward and pressed two fingers to their father's wrist. "He's dead," he said evenly, voice devoid of emotion. "Where're we going?" he asked Everett._

_Everett tried to pick up Asher but was unable too, "This is our chance, we can run away."_

_"Dad's dead, Everett," Gunner said. "We don't gotta to run anywhere."_

_"I murdered him," Everett said. "I'll go to jail if someone finds us here." _

_"You won't," Gunner, the more practical of the two, took Asher and stepped over the body, heading for the stairs. _

_A hand grabbed him from behind and spun him around. Of course, his innate response was to hit back. But Everett looked so hurt, so terrified, he managed to stop himself. _

_"Then what the hell do you want to do?" Gunner asked._

_"Hello?" a woman's voice called and they froze. "Hello? Is anyone home?"_

_"Who's there?" Gunner called, trying mask the terror in his voice. _

_"Mr. and Mrs. Farmer from across the street," the elderly woman appeared at the top of the stairwell. "We heard loud yelling, is everything alright?" _

_Gunner swallowed and exchanged a pleading glance with Everett. He shrugged his agreement. It was time for this to end once and for all. _

_"Um," Gunner said. "Could you call the police, Ma'm?" _

_"Milton's already called, they'll be here any minute, hon."_

_"No!" Everett shouted when she started down the stairs. "I'm sorry, Ma'm…please, just stay there, Ma'm" _

_From the look on her face, she had gotten a good view of their haggard appearances. "Poor things," she said. "I won't move, Everett is it?"_

_"Yes Ma'm," Gunner answered when he didn't. "I'm Gunner and this is Asher." His younger brother hid behind him, burying his face in Gunner's shirt. _

_She gave them a sweet grandmotherly smile, visible even from the distance between them. "I've met little Asher. We had some nice cookies and lemonade last week." He'd been punished for accepting the food. Mrs. Farmer meant no harm, thought she was doing him a favor. _

_The doorbell rang and soon the sound of many feet moved overhead, a voice shouted orders and a quieter one spoke to Mrs. Farmer out of the brother's line of sight._

_"Boys," she called. "This is Officer Cullen, he's a police officer. He's going to come down and talk to you." _

_Out of habit, the brothers backed up against the far wall. Someone coming down the stairs was never good. The cop was bald and very big but had a gentle look about him._

_"Hello, boys," he said, stopping in front of them. He eyed the body in the concrete encased room, "One of you needs to tell me what happened, right now." _

_"It's our dad, sir," Asher said quickly, intimidated by the large man. "He was gonna hurt me and Gunner. Everett hit him in the head and he fell down. We're sorry, sir." _

_Cullen quietly said something into his radio and several more cops came pouring down the stairs. _

_It was too much for Everett. He stepped forward, "Don't touch my brothers."_

_"No one's going to touch anybody," Cullen said, squinting in the dim light and taking in Everett's bloodied body and tattered clothes. "Did your father do this to you?" _

_"Yes," Gunner said, keeping an arm securely around Asher. Apparently, he was the only one willing to speak with the stranger. "We didn't want to kill him, sir. He wouldn't stop…he would have killed us like he killed Fletcher. We're sorry, sir. Please, don't hurt us, sir." Suddenly, a bright light filled the room._

_Asher screamed and Gunner threw a hand over his eyes. They had been in the near darkness of the basement for so long, such sudden contrast physically hurt. _

_"Oh my God," Cullen whispered and they could hear other murmured exclamations of shock. "Anybody call the EMT's?" _

_"They're on their way, Sarge," someone said. "Damn. Poor kids."_

_The brothers huddled together, not sure what all the whispers were about. Everett was quietly struggling to breathe, his hand tightly squeezing Gunner's shoulder. _

_Cullen knelt down, his soft brown eyes sad. "Like the lady upstairs said, I'm Officer Cullen, but you can call me Cully. Can you tell me your names?"_

_"Asher."_

_"Gunner."_

_"Ev…Everett." _

_His gaze settled on Everett, the rasping sounds coming from his rattled body were obviously worrying the cop too. "Try to relax, son. The EMT's are gonna be here real soon." _

_"What's going to happen to us, sir?" Asher asked, tears streaked down his grimy face._

_"Well," Cullen said gently. "We're going to get you guys to the hospital and they'll fix you up real nice. A detective will be there to talk to you and find you a place to stay."_

_"Don't…separate… us," Everett said as firmly as he could. _

_Cullen nodded, out of sympathy not agreement. "Is there someone you would like to contact? A family member, perhaps?"_

_Asher tugged on Gunner's sleeve, "Uncle John."_

_"We don't know where Uncle John is," Gunner reminded the boy. _

_Cullen took out a small notepad, "What's his name? I'll find him."_

_"John Winchester," Gunner finally said. "He's from Kansas but he travels a lot for his work."_

_"I'll find him," Cullen promised. "Sounds like the EMT's are here. Need help up the stairs?"_

_"We can…do…it ourselves," Everett said. They walked through the swarm of people, avoiding eye contact and got out of their dungeon as fast as possible. _

_Outside was like a nightmare laced with an ounce of hope. The fresh night air was cool against Gunner's skin, life being breathed into him. Red and blue lights danced on the side of the house, neighbors stood on the streets talking amongst themselves. People were everywhere. Surrounding them. Gunner frantically searched for Officer Cullen._

_"Alright, boys," his voice came from behind, somewhat calming Gunner. "I want you all to walk towards the ambulance right there. See those guys in the dark blue get ups? Those are the paramedics, let them help you." _

_"Are you coming?" Gunner asked once they were loaded in. A paramedic had managed to get an oxygen mask on Everett while another checked his blood pressure. _

_"I have to wait and talk to the detectives," Cullen said. "But I'll come by later, if you want."_

_"I want you too," Asher said._

_"Me too," Gunner said, not understanding the trust he had in the man he'd met just minutes earlier. _

_Cullen smiled and nodded, "Then I'll be there. And I am going to find your uncle. Okay? Don't worry about a thing." _

_The doors shut and the wail of the siren pierced the night. Asher was in relatively good shape so the paramedics let him sit up front and play with all the different siren sounds. He glanced back every so often to make sure Everett and Gunner were still there. _

_"I'm Michael," one of the paramedics from before introduced himself. He was a young, stocky African American man, whom also had a calming air about him. Usually, Gunner was weary of all people except his brothers. But everyone seemed to comfort him that night, maybe because he knew it was finally over. _

_"What do they call you, sport?" Michael asked._

_"Gunner," he answered quietly._

_"Cool name," Michael said. "We're going to take real good care of you Gunner. And you too," he said to Everett. "Can you tell me your name, bud?" _

_Everett's dazed, bright blue eyes were roaming around the ambulance, like he hadn't heard Michael. _

_"How about your age," Michael raised his voice a notch. "Can you tell me how old you are?"_

_"His name's Everett and he's fourteen," Gunner said. "Is he going to be okay?"_

_Michael deftly slid an IV into Everett's arm. Everett didn't even flinch. "Of course he is."_

_"Please don't lie to me, sir." _

_Michael continued working on Everett while he spoke. "He's lost a lot of blood, several broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder. He's going into shock, that's why he's acting a little off. Try talking to him, it might help to hear a familiar voice." _

_Gunner scooted down the bench so he was right next to Everett's head. "Hey, brother," Gunner's voice broke as it had been doing a lot lately. His vision blurred and salty tears dripped down his face and onto the stretcher. "You saved us, man. That bastard's dead now, he's gone forever." _

_Everett's head lolled towards his brother, Gunner had never seen his eyes like that. So…hollow. Tears streamed down his pale, sunken cheeks, Everett never cried. He was always tough big brother and never let the younger two know how terrified he was. He pulled down the mask with shaky hands, "I…w-w-want…Fletch.." _

_Everett's breath began hitching and a low gurgle came from the back of his throat. Gunner gently put the mask back in place, "Me too, man. Me too." _

_**TBC**_

_**This ended up being extremely long, so I divided it into two parts. The next one's much shorter but think of it as part of this one. So it's actually over 3000 words in all**__**. It's posted, so check it out. **_

_**----Child abuse a subject very personal to me. I hope my writing about it in this form does not offend anyone.---- **_


	5. Chapter 4: Part Two

_**Disclaimer: The TV show Supernatural belongs to the CW. All recognizable characters are property of the CW and Kripke. Fletcher, Everett, Gunner, and Asher belong to me.**_

_**Up until this chapter, everything was already written. Now I'm writing as I go so updates are going to take a couple days longer. Because I'm not getting very many reviews, I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to continue. No point in spending time on it if no one wants to read. But for those who have stuck with me, I will definitely put up the next chapter and decide what to do after that. So let me know, continue or not?**__**  
**_

_**----A/N: THIS IS THE SECOND HALF TO CHAPTER FOUR, YOU NEED TO READ PART ONE FIRST---- **_

**Increbresco**

**Chapter IV: Part II**

**By baseballeatsyou**

_**One week later **_

_Sixteen year old Sam followed his father and older brother down the stark hospital hallway. Everything smelled of sickly sweet ammonia, a scent he had long since grown accustomed to because of the many injuries accumulated while battling demons. Two days ago, a detective had shown up on the doorstep of their rental home in Kansas and informed them that their cousins had been orphaned and were asking for their Uncle John._

_They hadn't seen the boys since Rebecca's- the Knight's mother- funeral eight years ago. Their father had told John that their families had no reason to continue communication since Rebecca was dead. John fought back by saying that their children were still cousins and deserved to know and see each other. After a heated argument, Henry moved the boys out to California and cut off all contact with the Winchesters. _

_Two hours ago, the Winchesters had arrived at the hospital where their cousins were being treated for injuries, illnesses, and malnutrition. Down in the lobby, John had met with a social worker who informed him what all was going on. Asher had leukemia, which he had actually been treated for the last couple of months. Everett and Gunner somehow got enough money to pay a man for false documents and papers claiming that the man was their father so CPS wouldn't ask questions. John didn't even want to know how they came up with that kind of money. One would've thought that Henry would notice that his ten year son was bald from the chemotherapy, but Henry didn't care enough to notice anything. The cancer was not too advanced and doctor's suspected it could be treated successfully. _

_Asher was supposed to be treated in a separate hospital room in order to further evaluate him, but refused to be separated from his brothers for any length of time and was allowed to stay with them. The social worker also told them that it was Everett who killed Henry and that a judge ruled the killing as justifiable homicide so there was nothing, legally, to worry about.  
_

_"Room four-thirteen," John announced, stopping outside one of the maple laminated doors. "Be prepared, guys. They aren't going to be the same as you remember. They're traumatized." He turned the faux-brass handle and they slowly entered._

_Three sets of gaunt blue eyes looked up. Sam sucked in his breath at the sight of his cousins. Sadly, he didn't know which was which. A little boy was in one of the beds, clinging to one of the older ones, tubes and IV's going in and out of both of them. The little one must've been Asher, Sam knew he was the youngest. _

_Another older boy was in the next bed. He was incredibly pale, several Iv's ran into his arm and a padded sling held the other. A white turban-like bandage wrapped around his entire head. _

_"Uncle John, sir?" the one sharing with Asher asked cautiously._

_"Yeah," John said hoarsely. Sam couldn't believe what he was seeing, his father choking up. Dean glanced at John, even more surprised at the show of emotion. _

_"I'm Gunner," the boy said. "Do you remember me, sir? Our mother was Mary's sister."_

_John cleared his throat, "I remember you, son."_

_"Do you remember me, Uncle John, sir?" little Asher asked, hanging tightly to Gunner's arm. Even though he had just been two the last time they met, he had heard all about their only three relatives from his brothers. _

_"Of course, Asher," he stood between the beds. "Hello, Everett."_

_Everett gave him a cold stare but didn't say a word._

_"He can't talk, sir." Gunner said. "They just took the breathing tube out. He had a collapsed lung and they had to do surgery Friday morning. And Thursday night they did an operation on his head 'cause there was pressure on his brain."  
_

_John smiled lightly at the thirteen year old. Gunner was trying so hard to sound older, seem in control. Those boys had grown up way before their time. _

_"Where's Fletcher?" Dean asked. "I'd recognize that kid anywhere. He has a scar across his eye I gave him that one Thanksgiving when we were kids."_

_Silence. Asher buried his face in Gunner's chest and Everett turned away. "Um," Gunner said, not sure how to word what had to be told. "He died, three years ago. Henry strangled him 'cause he stole food for us." _

_Sam's heart stopped. "Your dad killed your brother?" _

_Gunner shrugged, "He broke the rules. When you break the rules, you get punishment." _

_"Didn't the police do anything?" Dean asked. "They would notice if he was strangled." _

_"Well," Gunner shifted uncomfortably. "The police never knew, no one did," he got a far away look in his eyes. "We were crying after he died, Henry got really mad. Left us in the basement with Fletcher's body for days…then made us bury him in the woods behind the house."_

_ "The school had to say something," John said, trying to keep the anger from his voice. Someone somewhere _had_ to notice what was going on. He was mentally kicking himself for not coming back to check on the boys, he knew that Henry was insane from the beginning. Shortly before her death in a blazing car crash, even Rebecca voiced her concern for her sons' safety.  
_

_"It was summer, sir, we weren't in school," Gunner was a little frightened by the edge to his uncle's voice. "Henry just told the principal that Fletcher went to live with a relative back east and they didn't ask anymore questions." _

_John was unable to keep from showing his fury, "If that no good son of a bitch wasn't already dead, I'd kill him myself." _

_"What's gonna happen to us, sir?" Asher asked, staring up at the rugged man. _

_John knelt down beside the bed, "We're going to work it all out, Asher. Don't worry, you're safe now." _

_**TBC**_

_**----Child abuse a subject very personal to me. I hope my writing about it in this form does not offend anyone.----**_

_**Anyhow, hope I haven't depressed anybody too much. And hey, the last part ended on a happy note:) And I might start doing periodical flashbacks about the time period immediately following the Knights joining the Winchesters. Or maybe make a separate prequel after I'm done with this story. Haven't decided yet. Depends on how much feedback I get for this one. **_

_**Peace. **_


	6. Chapter 5

_**I tried to put this up earlier, but I couldn't get the thing to update the new chapter. I don't know if this is just me or the whole site, but sorry for the delay.**_

_**  
Disclaimer: The TV show Supernatural belongs to the CW. All recognizable characters are property of the CW and Kripke. Fletcher, Everett, Gunner, and Asher belong to me. **_

_**This chapter jumps between Sam and Everett's point of views. I hope it's obvious enough who's POV is when. If not, feel free to ask questions. **_

_**Thanks to darkdestiney2000, Cbloom, Twinciniama, Ghostwriter, My heart beats only for you, and Sinead-Conlan for reviewing!! **_

_**----**__**Increbresco**__**: Latin-To grow strong, prevail.----**_

**Increbresco**

**Chapter V**

**By baseballeatsyou**

_**South Dakota, Present Day**_

Late that night, Sam lay on his back, staring at the dark ceiling. For some reason, he felt extremely anxious. Maybe it was those burgers they'd had for dinner. No way the 'food' met FDA standards. Then again, perhaps the cause of stress was the fact that they were going to start hunting the Majestin the next day. He'd done this kind of thing a million times and yet-

A nearby whimpering sound pulled Sam from his thoughts. He sighed heavily before sitting up and flipping on the bedside light. Why couldn't anything in this family be easy? Couldn't even get a decent night's sleep.

"Hey, Everett," he whispered, giving his cousin's shoulder a gentle shake. For once, they'd taken pity on Everett and let him share a bed with Sam while Dean took the sofa, and Gunner, as usual, was fast asleep in his very own bed. Sam was now regretting volunteering to double up, Everett took way too many liberties with the covers.

Sam shook him a little harder, "Everett, wake up, man. You're dreaming."

The younger man's brow was furrowed, his mouth twisted into a wince, soft jerky whimpers emitted from his throat. He was pale except for a slight flush to his overheated cheeks, sweat beaded along his hairline then streaked down along his face, leaving behind glistening tracks on the ashen skin. He was obviously in the midst of some kind of internal battle.

"Dammit," Sam slid a hand behind Everett's lolling head and slightly lifted him. He raised his voice as loud as he dared without waking the others, "Everett!"

With a strangled intake of air, Everett launched forward. Eyes wide, struggling to distinguish nightmare from reality.

"Whoa," Sam kept one hand on the back of Everett's sweat drenched head while grabbing his upper arm with the other. "Easy, Rook. You alright?"

Everett swallowed, trying to calm his breathing and slow his rapid heartbeat. His brain was still lost in a hellish haze. "Y-yeah, 'course I am. Just a dream," he said when he could finally speak.

"You're shaking, man," Sam said softly.

"I'm fine," said Everett. But contrary to his claim, he latched his fingers tightly around Sam's thick wrist.

This further concerned the youngest Winchester. Very rarely did Everett want physical comfort. Despite all the time that had gone by since he'd last been beaten, somewhere in the back of his mind he still feared contact would bring pain.

After making sure Everett was awake enough to hold himself upright, Sam released him and grabbed a half-finished bottle of water from the nightstand. "Here," he handed it to his cousin. "Think you can keep some of that down?"

Everett nodded, soaking in the attention. Though he wished it was Dean instead of Sam giving it, the elder man gave him a great more sense of security. Sam…well, Sam was physically strong but definitely did not give off an air of confidence. And that's what Everett needed, assurance that everything was okay. Sam could say it, but Dean could say it and mean it. Or at least he'd make Everett believe it. Then he'd throw in a sarcastic remark and Everett would forget all about whatever was bothering him in the first place.

"Take it slow," Sam watched as Everett downed most of the remaining water in record time. "So," he said after giving Everett sufficient time to calm down. "Which one was it?" Both Everett and Gunner suffered from reoccurring nightmares that were actually more reminiscent of flashbacks. The frequency of the nightmares had greatly decreased over the years but that didn't lessen the intensity when one did occur. This must've been a less terrifying one since Everett didn't wake up screaming bloody murder as was the usual case.

Everett fiddled with the white bottle cap, pretending to examine the shallow, vertical grooves along the circular outer edge. "I don't really want to talk about it, Sam."

"Which one?" Sam pressed.

"I don't remember." Everett felt horrible for what he was doing. He really did want to talk about the nightmare, but he intentionally danced around discussing it. He wanted sympathy, he wanted someone to feel sorry for him. Mostly because he couldn't feel sorry for himself, or even knew if he should. Wasn't it wrong to feel sorry for yourself? Seems like it was. But he couldn't let himself feel the emotions that made his stomach flip inside out and ties itself into knots. Anger and avoidance were all he was comfortable showing, it was all he'd ever known.

What Everett didn't know was that Sam was well aware of this as he pried the water bottle from Everett's clenching fist. "I still have nightmares about Jess all the time. I always see her on that ceiling, her eyes staring down at me. And some visions can be just as-"

"It's not the same thing," Everett cut him off.

"Of course it's not," said Sam. "My point is, everyone has something that haunts them. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Everett snorted, "Easy for you to say."

"Look, Everett. I'm never gonna completely understand what happened to you-"

"Exactly," Everett interrupted his cousin once again. The scared, battered little boy in him wanted nothing more than to break down and for Sam to make everything all better again. Unfortunately, his ego had other ideas. "So leave me the hell alone already!"

Sam stared hard at the younger man until Everett began getting uncomfortable then Sam just turned off the lamp and lay back down. It was a pointless waste of time and breath to even try. The next day Everett would be back to calling him a wuss and accusing Dean of playing favorites. Then they'd be right back where they started-nowhere.

Several silent minutes went by.

"Sam?"  
"What?" Sam asked coldly.

"Can…can we leave the light on?"

"Are you serious?"

"Never mind."

"No," Sam softened a bit, clicking on the lamp. Everett, though he'd never come out and admit it, had a fear of the dark. Ironic considering the line of work they were in. Sam figured it stemmed from his childhood, as did the majority of his problems. "It's fine."

Everett burrowed under the covers, scooting a little closer to Sam than usual, desperately needing to feel safe. "You say a word of this to anyone, I'll kill you."

"Whatever."

* * *

_The next day_

"Hey," Dean sat down across from Sam. They were at the local library trying to dig up some information on the poorly documented Majestins. But the small town must've not been as interested as they should've been because there were only a couple of books on the subject. The Winchesters had left their cousins back at the hotel, figuring they would be in and out a lot faster without them. "You alright, Sammy?"

Sam flipped a page in the rather large book of old newspapers, "Yeah."

"Sure?"

"Positive."

"You look freaking tired, man," Dean so kindly pointed out.

"That's because I was up half the night with Everett," Sam said wearily. "He had one of those nightmares."

"Yeah," Dean said. "I know."

"You were awake?"

Dean grinned, "I'm a light sleeper."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"You seemed to have it handled just fine," said Dean.

"Next time, feel free to jump in," Sam finished scanning the last page and shut the book. "We need to take him to a shrink. Gunner too. One session isn't enough to undo over a decade of what they went through."

"No, Sammy. _You _take them to a shrink," Dean said. "I got other stuff to do. Like save Trinity from an electrified freak."

"Way to care, Dean," Sam said. "Would it kill you to have a heart?"

"It just might. Find anything?"

Sam decided to let Dean change the subject, "Nothing."

Dean leaned back in his chair, absently mindedly gnawing on a hangnail. "How're we supposed to hunt this bastard? We can't cover a thousand acres at once and we have nothing to go on."

"Maybe we don't have too," Sam said thoughtfully. He pulled his laptop from a ragged old backpack, "Gimme a dime."

"What for?"

Sam held out his hand expectantly, "Dime, Dean."

"Kids these days," Dean dug through his pocket for spare change. "Think money grows on trees," he continued rambling after Sam took his computer over to the printer table and hooked it up. "If I had enough money for a shrink, I'd send myself."

Sam came back to the table with one of those looks on his face, he had an idea. He slammed down a piece of paper, "Pen."

"You sure are needy today," Dean snatched a pen from the table behind them when the high school nerd wasn't paying attention. "Could at least say please."

Sam ignored him, fervently looking at the computer screen and making marks on the paper.

Dean leaned over, "Care to share?"

After another mark, Sam spun the paper around. "This is a map of the reserve, I marked where each hanging victim was found. What do you notice?"

"They're all within two miles of the river," Dean realized. "Except that one," he said, pointing.

"Right," Sam said. "Any guesses on which one that is?"

"Caleb Mercer, the only guy."

"Exactly," Sam said. "I'm thinking that Caleb hung himself, I bet the body isn't even mangled like the others. Dean, the Majestin didn't kill him. It's going after women."

"The question is why," Dean said. "Based on what I've heard, Majestins don't discriminate."

Sam frowned, "That's the theory."

Dean sighed in frustration, "Do the women have anything else in common besides being chicks?"

"Uh," Sam scanned one of the many windows he had opened on his laptop. "All between the ages of twenty and sixty, pretty broad range…huh."

"What?"

"They were all widows."

"Angel of mercy type thing?"

"Maybe," Sam scrolled down. "If there were just more information about Majestins, we're just speculating. We know what they _might_ look like, what they _might_ do-"

"Whoa, wait a minute," Dean said, picking up the paper. "So they have to be pretty stealthy not to attract any attention in hundreds of years. Which means they're not very active or there's not to many of them, or both. Either way, something big would have to happen to bring them out into the open like this. Maybe the connection isn't the women, but the husbands."

Sam nodded, completely in sync with his brother. "Hold on," his fingers flew over the keyboard for a good ten minutes. "Hey," he knocked napping Dean's feet off the table. "Okay, listen to this. The husbands were part of a contracting firm. Six months ago, they were contracted to relocate a Native American cemetery from the reserve to a cemetery in Shasta. The relocation went off without a hitch and all the graves were transferred. Then, a few weeks later, they all started getting sick and they were dead days later."

"The Majestin is a Native American spirit, that explains the tattoo. Some kind of marking of it's tribe." Dean said. "I'll be damned. But why's it going after the wives?"

"You know, I read somewhere about the Native American theory," said Sam. "The website was made by Mike Wilkins, a real crazy so I didn't read too much into it at the time. His idea was that Majestins were spirits left behind to guard the souls of the tribe. This one must've gotten pissed when the graves were moved, so it killed the husbands. And when no one moved them back still, it started killing the widows."

"Damn," Dean said. "Spirits sure have strange ways of getting their point across. "How many wives are left?"

"Just one, Patricia Lewinski." Sam closed his laptop, "Do we really need to kill it, Dean? I mean, it won't hurt anyone as long as the graves are put back."

"Say we don't get rid of it," Dean said. "And the graves get put back. Everything's peachy until someone comes along in twenty years and decides to move them again. Then more people start dying. We gotta kill it, Sam."

Sam knew his brother was right. "So…what now?"

_**The last section was very blah, but I had to get in some actual supernatural stuff in at some point lol. I promise, more action and family fun in the next chapter. Like I said before, the Majestin and everything about it is completely made up as are these places in South Dakota. No idea if they actually exist. I didn't spend much time thinking about it. It's not the main point of the story anyway. **_

_**I based the nightmare scene on how I felt Sam and Dean's discussions often go in the show, since Everett also has trouble showing his true emotions. Dean sometimes seems like he wants to talk about things, then says something that completely turns Sam off to sharing. Of course, that's just my take. **_

_**----Everyone who's interested enough to read this far, please review. If you don't, I have no way of knowing how I'm doing. Besides, it gives me inspiration to keep going. There's no point in continuing if no one's reading. To those who have stuck with me so far, you guys are awesome!! **_


End file.
